#academicfreedom — Public Fediverse posts

Probably the most memorable takeaway from the podium discussion on academic freedom on the #dgps2026 : Be prepared to resist from day 1!
#fckafd #academicfreedom #DGPs2026 #dgps

Inside the D.O.J.’s Investigation of Fauci and Other Virus Scientists

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/health/fauci-morens-covid-prosecutions.html

DATE: August 28, 2026 at 12:13PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: West Point's Only Climate Scientist Fired Over Teaching Human Causes

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=191201&url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/west-point-climate-scientist-fired

Source: The Guardian - Climate Crisis

The only climate scientist teaching at West Point, the U.S. army's military academy, was fired after he resisted an order to stop teaching about the human causes of climate change, a lawsuit claims. Adam Kalkstein, a geography professor at the New York institution, was terminated after the spring semester this year, six months after a tense meeting with Brigadier General Shane Reeves, then dean of West Point's academic board, the court filing...

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=191201&url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/27/west-point-climate-scientist-fired

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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #WestPointsClimateSci #ClimateChangeTeaching #HumanCauses #AcademicFreedom #MilitaryAcademy #AdamKalkstein #WestPointFired #ClimateEducation #EnvironmentNews #TheGuardian

"In 2023, 60 per cent of Australians rejected a constitutionally recognised Voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A body that could only make representations, only on matters concerning the people whose ancestors have been here sixty thousand years.
"Too much, the No campaign shrieked. Division. Privilege. Special treatment.
"Nine months later, Anthony Albanese handed Jillian Segal what the Voice never dreamed of asking for. Not a right to be heard. Power. No election. No parliamentary vote. No hearing. A three year commission reporting personally to the Prime Minister, with a mandate reaching into every campus, newsroom, classroom, gallery, charity, arts contract and visa file in the Commonwealth."

Andrew Brown writes: https://michaelwest.com.au/the-segal-state-the-office-australia-never-voted-for/

#academicFreedom #influence #lobbying #policing #silencing #genocideSupport #hasbara #grievability #conflation #confusion #manipulation #proZionism #StandWithIsrael #lineOfColor #Australia #RoyalCommission #AusPol #JillianSegal #Segal #AnthonyAlbanese

#RuthBenGhiat is a professor of #history & Italian studies at NYU & the author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. She argues that this effort is part of a larger autocratic project to maintain #power.

#SevenMountainMandate #law #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #dictatorship #authoritarianism #autocracy #MafiaState #RevengePolitics #Trump

Joan Brugge has worked for nearly 50 years as a cancer scientist, studying the earliest signs that someone might become sick. Then the #Trump admin canceled her lab’s funding. The admin’s attacks on #medicine, #culture, & #education — which include verbal #threats & #funding cuts—are about more than just budgeting & bravado.

#SevenMountainMandate #law #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #dictatorship #authoritarianism #autocracy #MafiaState #RevengePolitics

#GiftArticle

Defund #Science, Distort #Culture, Mock #Education

It’s not just about cuts to #research.
It’s about #power.

By Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum

#SevenMountainMandate #law #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #dictatorship #authoritarianism #autocracy #MafiaState #RevengePolitics #Trump
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/01/reality-reshaped/685289/?gift=guxsrl_dAdXUP9zqbQPWxVCfwC75UsaONz24l2NqAdQ

And it raised new questions about whether some of were more interested in preserving the #power of the government’s threat against #Harvard as a message to other #universities than in reaching a settlement….

While the interactions between Dr. Garber & McMahon plunged the sensitive talks into deeper turmoil, they also highlighted the unpredictability of the #Trump admin.

#law #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #education #SevenMountainMandate

Whatever the case, it was the latest twist in the long-running dispute between #Harvard & the #Trump admin, which has shaped up to be the marquee battle in the admin’s effort to exert more influence over #colleges & #universities it views as too liberal.

The episode also underscored the emerging role played by people inside the admin who want to extract more concessions from Harvard.

#Trump #law #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #education #SevenMountainMandate

Dr. Garber wrote back to clarify #Harvard’s position. But, in response, the admin doubled down, introducing terms that were so far-reaching that #university officials saw them as nonstarters.

It was unclear whether McMahon’s interpretation of Harvard’s proposal resulted from a miscommunication or from a deliberate effort to force the university into a year-end deal after months of faltering negotiations.

#Trump #law #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #education #SevenMountainMandate

Dr. Garber felt he had made clear in recent negotiations that the university would not agree to pay the federal government to settle a monthslong battle with the #Trump admin over its perceived antisemitism on campus & other matters.

But Ms. McMahon’s Saturday message said the opposite. In it, she thanked Dr. Garber for what she portrayed as his commitment to sending $200 million to the government as part of a deal.

#law #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #education #SevenMountainMandate

The letter landed like a thud on Saturday in the inbox of #Harvard University’s president, Alan M. Garber.

The message, from Linda McMahon, Trump’s “education” secretary, conveyed an understanding of an emerging deal between Harvard & the White House that flew in the face of the terms the #university had been insisting on.

#law #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #education #SevenMountainMandate #dictatorship #authoritarianism #autocracy #MafiaState #RevengePolitics #Trump

Capitulation

#Northwestern to pay $75 million in deal with #Trump admin to restore #federal #funding

#NorthwesternUniversity has agreed to pay $75 million to the US government in a deal with the Trump admin to end a series of investigations & restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal #research funding.

#extortion #law #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #FreeSpeech #Palestinian #HumanRights #protests
https://apnews.com/article/trump-northwestern-agreement-antisemitism-d646516c3f800faa416228deab61532c

@pvonhellermannn with you on this.

It should be possible to post on #AcademicVenting by anonymising and by using a little poetic licence for literary 'truths' that refer to real people and real situations without all the detail.

Here's mine: I'm familiar with the workings of at least 4 UK unis. #AcademicFreedom across all 4 is seriously compromised.

#ManagementSpeak all sounds the same, same stock phrases out of a textbook, now most-likely AI-generated.

#Academia #AcademicChatter

The president of #NorthwesternUniversity, Michael H. Schill, announced Thursday that he would resign, after a difficult tenure that included attacks from #Republicans in #Congress & cuts by the #Trump admin that forced the #university to lay off hundreds.

#Northwestern became a target this year of Trump ofcls, who cut nearly $800 million of the university’s federal #research #funding, after months of intense scrutiny from Republicans.

#law #Constitution #AcademicFreedom #education #BrainDrain

#AmericanPrestige pod welcomes back historian #RashidKhalidi to talk about #ColumbiaUniversity's entente with the #Trump Administration, #Columbia's measures to bring in "outside monitors," and how powerful donors and neoliberal management models are affecting humanities departments and #MiddleEastStudies.

https://americanprestige.supportingcast.fm/listen/american-prestige-1/e223-columbia-trump-and-the-palestine-exception-w-rashid-khalidi

#studentProtests #ColumbiaU #academicFreedom #campusActivism #stateRepression #GazaSolidarity #PalestineSolidarity #USpolitics #UShigherEd @palestine @israel

2 #professors from #Rutgers University in #NJ went out on a limb to write a “mutual defense compact” for #BigTen schools.

The professors—1 teaches chemistry in Camden, the other psychology in Newark—said they were frustrated by #Trump’s abrupt cuts to #research #funding & its efforts to dictate #policy on some campuses.

They were also troubled by the lack of a unified response by #university leaders.

#law #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/nyregion/rutgers-mdc-big-10.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=538E3356-8E4C-43C0-A26D-93CCA3B0137D

Well done! @ALLEA releases a further statement calling out the continuing attempted Gleichschaltung of US academia.

https://allea.org/portfolio-item/allea-statement-on-continued-attacks-on-academic-freedom/

#AcademicFreedom #StandUpForScience #ALLEA

I used to attend a university for a diploma in computer engineering. After a few semesters, I decided to stop studying there. I needed to withdraw. However, what they call "student peers"—I am not sure what the term is in English—were being reductionist and maximalist regarding the official documents, stating that I had already agreed to and chosen the university and the study program in the online application form. This is not fair. I believe it is important to treat each person as an individual, as a whole person, rather than merely considering what I have done to prevent me from leaving. I wasn't there to fulfill their collectivist culture, believing I should prioritize the university's name and dignity at the cost of my own. At the moment, I want to take a break from writing this, as my mind is troubled by thoughts of my past, including the emotional abuse I experienced from the university staff. Unfair, right?

#StudentRights #InstitutionalRigidity #FairTreatment #EducationalJustice #Individuality #MentalHealth #EmotionalAbuse #AcademicFreedom #StudentSupport #HigherEducation #UniversityPolicies #PersonalGrowth #RespectForIndividuals #EducationalReform #StudentWellbeing #MentalWellness #PersonalChoice #AcademicIntegrity #StudentVoice #FairPolicies

I used to attend a university for a diploma in computer engineering. After a few semesters, I decided to stop studying there. I needed to withdraw. However, what they call "student peers"—I am not sure what the term is in English—were being reductionist and maximalist regarding the official documents, stating that I had already agreed to and chosen the university and the study program in the online application form. This is not fair. I believe it is important to treat each person as an individual, as a whole person, rather than merely considering what I have done to prevent me from leaving. I wasn't there to fulfill their collectivist culture, believing I should prioritize the university's name and dignity at the cost of my own. At the moment, I want to take a break from writing this, as my mind is troubled by thoughts of my past, including the emotional abuse I experienced from the university staff. Unfair, right?

#StudentRights #InstitutionalRigidity #FairTreatment #EducationalJustice #Individuality #MentalHealth #EmotionalAbuse #AcademicFreedom #StudentSupport #HigherEducation #UniversityPolicies #PersonalGrowth #RespectForIndividuals #EducationalReform #StudentWellbeing #MentalWellness #PersonalChoice #AcademicIntegrity #StudentVoice #FairPolicies

I used to attend a university for a diploma in computer engineering. After a few semesters, I decided to stop studying there. I needed to withdraw. However, what they call "student peers"—I am not sure what the term is in English—were being reductionist and maximalist regarding the official documents, stating that I had already agreed to and chosen the university and the study program in the online application form. This is not fair. I believe it is important to treat each person as an individual, as a whole person, rather than merely considering what I have done to prevent me from leaving. I wasn't there to fulfill their collectivist culture, believing I should prioritize the university's name and dignity at the cost of my own. At the moment, I want to take a break from writing this, as my mind is troubled by thoughts of my past, including the emotional abuse I experienced from the university staff. Unfair, right?

#StudentRights #InstitutionalRigidity #FairTreatment #EducationalJustice #Individuality #MentalHealth #EmotionalAbuse #AcademicFreedom #StudentSupport #HigherEducation #UniversityPolicies #PersonalGrowth #RespectForIndividuals #EducationalReform #StudentWellbeing #MentalWellness #PersonalChoice #AcademicIntegrity #StudentVoice #FairPolicies

I used to attend a university for a diploma in computer engineering. After a few semesters, I decided to stop studying there. I needed to withdraw. However, what they call "student peers"—I am not sure what the term is in English—were being reductionist and maximalist regarding the official documents, stating that I had already agreed to and chosen the university and the study program in the online application form. This is not fair. I believe it is important to treat each person as an individual, as a whole person, rather than merely considering what I have done to prevent me from leaving. I wasn't there to fulfill their collectivist culture, believing I should prioritize the university's name and dignity at the cost of my own. At the moment, I want to take a break from writing this, as my mind is troubled by thoughts of my past, including the emotional abuse I experienced from the university staff. Unfair, right?

#StudentRights #InstitutionalRigidity #FairTreatment #EducationalJustice #Individuality #MentalHealth #EmotionalAbuse #AcademicFreedom #StudentSupport #HigherEducation #UniversityPolicies #PersonalGrowth #RespectForIndividuals #EducationalReform #StudentWellbeing #MentalWellness #PersonalChoice #AcademicIntegrity #StudentVoice #FairPolicies

I used to attend a university for a diploma in computer engineering. After a few semesters, I decided to stop studying there. I needed to withdraw. However, what they call "student peers"—I am not sure what the term is in English—were being reductionist and maximalist regarding the official documents, stating that I had already agreed to and chosen the university and the study program in the online application form. This is not fair. I believe it is important to treat each person as an individual, as a whole person, rather than merely considering what I have done to prevent me from leaving. I wasn't there to fulfill their collectivist culture, believing I should prioritize the university's name and dignity at the cost of my own. At the moment, I want to take a break from writing this, as my mind is troubled by thoughts of my past, including the emotional abuse I experienced from the university staff. Unfair, right?

#StudentRights #InstitutionalRigidity #FairTreatment #EducationalJustice #Individuality #MentalHealth #EmotionalAbuse #AcademicFreedom #StudentSupport #HigherEducation #UniversityPolicies #PersonalGrowth #RespectForIndividuals #EducationalReform #StudentWellbeing #MentalWellness #PersonalChoice #AcademicIntegrity #StudentVoice #FairPolicies

@Luke_Drury and it seems that #TheRoyalSociety is not a signatory of this declaration and Musk is still a FRS ! All the societies in the #ALLEA should put some pressure on the RS to throw him out, THAT would be a strong sign, much stronger than a declaration. Otherwise the ALLEA should excude the RS from its members, to be coherent with their statement
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/04/elon-musk-science-royal-society-scientific-integrity
#AcademicFreedom
@academicchatter

Update. "ALLEA Statement on Threats to Academic Freedom and International Research Collaboration in the United States"
https://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ALLEA-Statement-on-Threats-to-Academic-Freedom.pdf

"The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities expresses grave concern over the escalating threats to academic freedom, both in the United States and beyond. Recent developments regarding science and scholarship in the U.S., including executive orders freezing billions in federal research funding and censorship around topics such as climate change and gender, are forcing many U.S. science agencies and research organisations to abruptly suspend normal operations. Such censorship and political suppression of language, research topics, and methodologies—whether through funding restrictions, legislative control, or institutional interference—fundamentally compromise the integrity of scientific and scholarly endeavours not just in the U.S. but around the world due to the global nature of the research ecosystem."

#AcademicFreedom #ALLEA #Censorship #Collaboration #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Declaration To #DefendResearch against Censorship in the United States:
Call to action is open to signatories worldwide and aims to condemn and resist acts by the U.S. government that restrict or censor scholarly research
https://www.chemistryviews.org/declaration-to-defend-research-against-censorship-in-the-united-states/

#academicfreedom #chemistry #chemistryviews #chemviews

EXCLUSIVE: Northwestern Suspends Journalism Professor Steven Thrasher After Gaza Solidarity Protest http://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/5/steven_thrasher #Gaza #RightToProtest #FreeSpeech #education #USColleges #USA #censorship #AcademicFreedom #NorthwesternUniversity

Re: Scott Aaronson • Will UT Austin and Texas A&M Survive Beyond This Week?
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243

My Comment —
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243#comment-1949554

As far as the tenure system goes, a little bit of history regurgitated will bring its rationale into focus.

History of the AAUP —

❝In 1900 when noted economist Edward Ross lost his job at Stanford University because Mrs. Leland Stanford didn't like his views on immigrant labor and railroad monopolies, other professors were watching. The incident stuck in the mind of Arthur O. Lovejoy, philosopher at Johns Hopkins. When he and John Dewey organized a meeting in 1915 to form an organization to ensure academic freedom for faculty members, the AAUP was born. “Academic Freedom” was a new idea then.❞

• https://web.archive.org/web/20121221091245/http://www.aaup.org/about/history-aaup

Without a tenure system there is no academic freedom, and without academic freedom universities as organs of free inquiry will simply wither and die.

#ScottAaronson #LargeLanguageModels #GPT
#AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #Tenure

Re: Scott Aaronson • Will UT Austin and Texas A&M Survive Beyond This Week?
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243

My Comment —
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243#comment-1949542

Alas, my friends, read the writing on the wall —

“Money, Money, Techno Upstartin”

Why should society invest in universities, anyway? Why should individuals devote the great measure of their lives and fortunes to acquiring the discipline and joining the calling of responsible research, teaching, and service when that whole apparatus of laborious training can be replaced by a chatbot simulating the conduct of a human being, in particular, an Average Indolent fifth-grader who copies all his book reports off Wikipedia?

No, no, mes amis, the job you lose to a bot will sooner or later be your own.

#ScottAaronson #LargeLanguageModels #GPT
#AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #Tenure